Tuesday, 24 July 2012

In 1895, shortly after the relocation
of the schoolhouse, there was a reunion of the class of 1842.

The Berliner
Journal, dated September 26, 1895 poignantly commented: “after those
present, on hearing the various speeches felt themselves transported back to
the past, the school was closed at four o’clock and the pupils were gathered
together in front of the school and photographed as a group. On their return
into the school, they found it had been transformed into a dining room with
heavily laden tables, which the old-timers thoroughly enjoyed. After everyone
had chatted cordially for awhile longer, the gathering broke up. The company
will not meet again in complete numbers, nor in such a way.”

Monday, 23 July 2012

By the 1890’s, a number
of factors had contributed to the schoolhouse’s ultimate move to Waterloo Park
(where it remains to this day). As a
school, it had outlived its usefulness by 1842, deemed too small to accommodate
the growing student enrolment. As we
have discussed, the school (as a building) was moved to its 2nd
location near present day KCI where it served its purpose as a family dwelling
for the Levi Carroll family.

The communities of
Waterloo and Berlin had changed significantly, by the 1890’s, as well. Waterloo
was in search of land to develop into a public park and by September 1, 1890 it
acquired the 60+ acre Jacob Eby farm. The wheels of progress were definitely in
motion.

Photo of what was to become Waterloo Park; c. 1890. Jacob Eby’s farm was considered to
be an undeveloped and “rough-looking” expanse that sloped towards a man-made
mill pond (what we know today as Silver Lake). For further information see the
City of Waterloo website: http://www.city.waterloo.on.ca/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=2735

Needless to say, there
was much work to be done in the next few years but, in time, many trees were
planted and buildings were built in or re-located to the young park—including
the 1820 log schoolhouse.

How it got there is an
interesting story in and of itself. Levi Carroll’s wife, the former Margaret
Moore Johnston, died in February of 1890 and by Levi’s own account he fell “on
hard times” after she passed away. We find that the 1891 census records list
Levi, his step-daughter Emiline and her son William as being the only ones
still living in the schoolhouse. Later
that year, Levi, Emiline and William enter into the House of Industry—thereby vacating
the schoolhouse. In 1893, the Westside Park opened (Waterloo Park).

At this point, I have
not yet determined whether there was another tenant in the schoolhouse
following Levi’s departure (in 1891) or not, but the Waterloo Park Board
purchased it as an empty building in 1894. Discussion had stalled regarding
whether to demolish the building or not but Isaac Erb Bowman, a member of the
Park Board of Management, strongly advocated to have the school moved to
Waterloo Park as a “cultural link with the past” whereby it could serve as a
visible icon for the importance of education for the early settlers who built
it. (Not yet a hundred years old and it was already being recognized as too
valuable to destroy!) Waterloo purchased the building and moved it to the park
in 1894.

As I uncover further
details, I will update this post—as to who was the owner of the schoolhouse
when it was purchased, etc. As to this point, we do know that one man can
certainly make a civic difference and a great deal of thanks goes out to Isaac
Erb Bowman for helping to preserve the school for future generations. (as
stated in my first post, this precious built heritage resource was finally designated
on April 23, 2012).

Got Questions?

Email me: legacyheritageresources@gmail.com

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I always look forward to your comments and questions. However, if I do not have an email address for you then I cannot reply directly to you. The comments are sent to me privately before I publish them so if you include your email address I can edit it out before publishing your question. Thanks for your interest and support for the local history of Waterloo Region.

Curating Waterloo Region's Local History

Local history is an undervalued entity that is often overlooked (or ignored entirely) by historians and the world at large. I believe that this region, in particular, has a unique perspective in comparison to other Canadian settlement stories and it is my intent to sleuth out and share these accounts.

About Me

Public, Local & Social Historian--Researcher, Blogger, Educator of Local Waterloo Region Settlement History that includes the Folkways and Practices (Folk Beliefs, Folklore, Superstitions/Folk Medicine (Witchcraft) and of course, Foodways) of the Pennsylvania Germans, Mennonites & Early Black Settlers. Secondary interests include the social life, food, medicine and superstitions of Early Modern Europe (Medieval to New World Colonial).